GIFT  OF 
Class   of   1887 


'BE  EITHER  THE  SUFFER- 
ING SLAVES  OF  MTURE  OR  THE 


EvSEfiSli? 


m 


'•JJ'aftSExr' 

ROGE1 


SELF 
DEVELOPMENT 

AND  THE 

WAY  TO   POWER 


BY  L.  W.  ROGERS 


Third  Edition 


1916 

Los  ANGELES,  CAL. 


COPYRIGHT  1910 

BY 
1L  W.  ROGERS 


f^V  may  be  either  the  suffering  slaves  of  nature  or 
the  happy  masters  of  her  laws. 


930879 


SELF  DEVELOPMENT 
AND  THE  WAY  TO  POWER 


It  is  the  natural  right  of  every  human  being 
to  be  happy — to  escape  all  the  miseries  of  life. 
Happiness  is  the  normal  condition,  as  natural 
as  the  landscapes  and  the  seasons.  It  is  un- 
natural to  suffer  and  it  is  only  because  of  our 
ignorance  that  we  do  suffer.  Happiness  is  the 
product  of  wisdom.  To  attain  perfect  wisdom, 
to  comprehend  fully  the  purpose  of  life,  to 
realize  completely  the  relationship  of  human 
beings  to  each  other,  is  to  put  an  end  to  all 
suffering,  to  escape  every  ill  and  evil  that 
afflicts  us.  Perfect  wisdom  is  unshadowed  joy. 

Why  do  we  suffer  in  life?  Because  in  the 
scheme  of  nature  we  are  being  forced  forward 
in  evolution  and  we  lack  the  spiritual  illumina- 
tion that  alone  can  light  the  way  and  enable  us 
to  move  safely  among  the  dbstacles  that  lie 
before  us.  Usually  we  do  not  even  see  or  sus- 
pect the  presence  of  trouble  until  it  suddenly 
leaps  upon  us  like  a  concealed  tiger.  One  day 
our  family  circle  is  complete  and  happy.  A 


•     I  < 


6  The  Thing  We  Lack. 

week  later  death  has  come  and  gone  and  joy  is 
replaced  with  agony.  Today  we  have  a  friend. 
Tomorrow  he  will  be  an  enemy  and  we  do  not 
know  why.  A  little  while  ago  we  had  wealth 
and  all  material  luxuries.  There  was  a  sudden 
change  and  now  we  have  only  poverty  and 
misery  and  yet  we  seek  in  vain  for  a  reason 
why  this  should  be.  There  was  a  time  when 
we  had  health  and  strength;  but  they  have 
both  departed  and  no  trace  of  a  reason  appears. 
Aside  from  these  greater  tragedies  of  life  in- 
numerable things  of  lesser  consequence  con- 
tinually bring  to  us  little  miseries  and  minor 
heartaches.  We  most  earnestly  desire  to  avoid 
them  but  we  never  see  them  until  they  strike 
us,  until  in  the  darkness  of  our  ignorance  ve 
blunder  upon  them.  The  thing  we  lack  is  irie 
spiritual  illumination  ihat  will  enable  us  to 
look  far  and  wide,  finding  the  hidden  causes 
of  human  suffering  and  revealing  the  method 
by  which  they  may  be  avoided ;  and  if  we  can 
but  reach  illumination  the  evolutionary  jour- 
ney can  be  made  both  comfortably  and  swiftly. 
It  is  as  though  we  must  pass  through  a  long, 
dark  room  filled  with  furniture  promiscuously 
scattered  about.  In  the  darkness  our  progress 
would  be  slow  and  painful  and  our  bruises 
many.  But  if  we  could  press  a  button  that 


The  Way  to  Illumination.  7 

would  turn  on  the  electric  light  we  could  then 
make  the  same  journey  quickly  and  with  per- 
fect safety  and  comfort. 

The  old  method  of  education  was  to  store 
the  mind  with  as  many  facts,  or  supposed 
facts,  as  could  be  accumulated  and  to  give  a 
certain  exterior  polish  to  the  personality.  The 
theory  was  that  when  a  man  was  born  he  was 
a  completed  human  being  and  that  all  that 
could  be  done  for  him  was  to  load  him  up  with 
information  that  would  be  used  with  more  or 
less  skill,  according  to  the  native  ability  he 
happened  to  be  born  with.  The  theosophical 
idea  is  that  the  physical  man,  and  all  that  con- 
stitutes his  life  in  the  physical  world,  is  but 
a  very  partial  expression  of  the  self;  that  in 
the  ego  of  each  there  is  practically  unlimited 
power  and  wisdom :  that  these  may  be  brought 
through  into  expression  in  the  physical  world 
as  the  physical  body  and  its  invisible  counter- 
parts, which  together  constitute  the  complex 
vehicle  of  the  ego's  manifestation,  are  evolved 
and  adapted  to  the  purpose;  and  that  in  exact 
proportion  that  conscious  effort  is  given  to 
such  self-development  will  spiritual  illumina- 
tion be  achieved  and  wisdom  attained.  Thus 
the  light  that  leads  to  happiness  is  kindled 
from  within  and  the  evolutionary  journey  that 


8  Why  We  Suffer. 

all  are  making  may  be  robbed  of  its  suffering. 

Why  does  death  bring  misery?  Chiefly  be- 
cause it  separates  us  from  those  we  love.  But 
when  we  have  evolved  the  faculty  of  clair- 
voyance, in  our  work  of  self-development,  the 
separation  vanishes  and  our  "dead"  friends 
are  as  much  with  us  as  the  living.  The  only 
other  reason  why  death  brings  grief  or  fear  is 
because  we  do  not  understand  it  and  compre- 
hend the  part  it  plays  in  human  evolution. 
But  the  moment  our  ignorance  gives  way  to 
comprehension  such  fear  vanishes  and  a  se- 
rene happiness  takes  its  place. 

Why  do  we  have  enemies  from  whose  words 
or  acts  we  suffer?  Because  in  our  limited 
physical  consciousness  we  do  not  perceive  the 
unity  of  all  life  and  realize  that  our  wrong 
thinking  and  doing  must  react  upon  us  through 
other  people — a  situation  from  which  there  is 
no  possible  escaj)e  except  through  ceasing  to 
think  evil  and_then  patiently  awaiting  the  time 
when_the  causes  we  have  already  generated 
are_jully_exhausted.  When  spiritual  illumina- 
tion comes,  and  we  no  longer  stumble  in  the 
night  of  ignorance,  the  last  enemy  will  disap- 
pear and  we  shall  make  no  more  forever. 

Why  do  people  suffer  from  poverty  and  dis- 
ease? Only  because  of  our  blundering  igno- 


Why  Suffering  Ceases.  9 

ranee  that  makes  their  existence  possible  for 
us,  and  because  we  do  not  comprehend  their 
meaning  and  their  lessons,  nor  know  the  atti- 
tude to  assume  toward  them.  Had  we  but  the 
wisdom  to  understand  why  they  come  to  peo- 
ple, why  they  are  necessary  factors  in  their 
evolution,  they  would  trouble  us  no  longer. 
When  nature's  lesson  is  fully  learned  these 
mute  teachers  will  vanish. 

And  so  it  is  with  all  forms  of  suffering  we 
experience.  They  are  at  once  reactions  from 
our  ignorant  blunderings  and  instructors  that 
point  out  the  better  way.  When  we  have  com- 
prehended the  lessons  they  teach  they  are  no 
longer  necessary  and  disappear. 

Thus  our  evolution  is  going  forward  and  has 
gone  forward  in  the  past.  We  know  that  the 
human  race  has  passed  through  a  long  evolu- 
tion during  which  it  has  acquired  five  senses 
by  which  knowledge  is  gained.  Nobody  who 
has  given  thought  to  the  subject  will  make  the 
mistake  of  supposing  that  this  evolution  is 
completed  and  that  the  five  senses  are  all  we 
shall  ever  possess. 

In  this  long  evolutionary  journey  the  next 
thing  we  shall  do  is  to  develop  the  sixth  sense. 
Some  people  have  already  done  so  and  all  are 
approaching  it.  This  dawning  sense  is  called 


io  The  Sixth  Sense. 

clairvoyance.  Fair  investigation  will  show 
that  the  clairvoyant  possesses  certain  powers 
not  common  to  the  majority  of  people.  This 
is  merely  the  beginning  of  the  development  of 
the  sixth  sense,  and  probably  with  the  major- 
ity of  clairvoyants  it  goes  no  further  than 
etheric  and  lower  astral  sight.  In  other  words, 
they  are  able  to  raise  the  consciousness  only 
to  a  grade  of  matter  a  little  beyond  the  grasp 
of  ordinary  vision,  while  the  properly  devel- 
oped, trained  clairvoyant  raises  his  conscious- 
ness two  full  planes  beyond. 

The  higher  the  consciousness  is  raised  the 
further  the  horizon  of  knowledge  extends  and 
the  clairvoyant  is  able  to  hand  down  informa- 
tion that  appears  quite  miraculous;  but  it  is 
perfectly  natural.  If  a  certain  person  were 
born  blind  and  had  never  understood  any  more 
about  eyesight  than  most  people  understand 
about  clairvoyance ;  if  this  person  could  know 
how  many  doorways  were  in  a  large  building 
only  by  groping  along  with  his  hands  and  thus 
acquiring  the  knowledge  by  touch,  and  another 
person  who  could  see  should  glance  along  the 
block  and  instantly  tell  the  blind  man  the  cor- 
rect number,  that  would  be  to  the  blind  man  a 
miracle.  Now,  when  a  clairvoyant  sees  things 
at  a  distance  where  the  physical  eye  cannot 


Value  of  Conscious  Evolution.  1 1 

reach  he  really  does  nothing  more  remarkable. 
When  we  see  a  thing  we  receive  the  vibrations 
caused  by  light.  That  gives  the  information. 
When  the  clairvoyant  "sees"  at  a  distance 
through  what  we  mistakenly  call  solid  sub- 
stances he  receives  vibrations  of  matter  so  fine 
that  it  interpenetrates  solids  as  the  ether  does. 

Every  human  being  must  make,  and  is  mak- 
ing, this  long  evolutionary  journey  from  spir- 
itual infancy  to  godlike  power  and  perfection, 
but  there  are  two  ways  in  which  it  may  be 
done.  We  may,  as  the  vast  majority  do,  accept 
the  process  of  unconscious  evolution  and  sub- 
mit to  nature's  whip  and  spur  that  continuously 
urge  the  thoughtless  and  indifferent  forward 
until  they  finally  reach  the  goal.  Or,  we  may 
choose  conscious  evolution  and  work  intel- 
ligently with  nature,  thus  making  progress  that 
is  comparatively  of  enormous  rapidity  and  at 
the  same  time  avoid  much  of  what  Hamlet 
called  the  "slings  and  arrows  of  outrageous 
fortune." 

The  degree  to  which  mind  can  control  cir- 
cumstances and  dominate  matter  is  far  greater 
than  is  generally  believed.  Our  impressions 
about  matter  are  very  illusory.  No  form  of 
matter  is  permanent.  Change  goes  on  every- 
where at  every  instant,  by  physical  laws  in  the 


12  The  Laws  of  Soul  Growth. 

physical  body  and  by  astral  and  mental  laws 
in  our  invisible  bodies.  We  are  not  the  same 
being,  physically,  mentally  or  spiritually,  any 
two  days  in  succession.  The  very  soul  itself 
is  subject  to  this  law  of  change.  It  may 
expand  and  shine  out  through  the  physical 
organism  resplendent,  or  it  may  only  faintly 
glimmer  through  a  constantly  coarsening  body. 
What  is  the  law  of  soul  growth?  Through 
adherence  to  what  principle  may  we  reach 
spiritual  illumination?  There  are  certain  well 
established  facts  about  the  laws  of  growth  that 
we  should  not  overlook  when  seeking  the  way 
forward.  Nothing  whatever  can  grow  without 
use,  without  activity.  Inaction  causes  atrophy. 
Physiologists  tell  us  that  if  the  arm  be  tied  to 
the  body  so  that  it  cannot  be  used  it  will  in 
time  become  so  enfeebled  that  it  is  of  no 
further  service.  It  will  wither  away.  That  is 
nature's  law  of  economy.  She  never  gives  life 
where  it  is  useless,  where  it  can  not,  or  will 
not,  be  utilized.  On  the  other  hand,  exercise 
increases  power.  To  increase  the  size  and 
strength  of  muscles  we  must  use  them.  This 
is  just  as  true  of  mental  and  moral  faculties 
as  it  is  of  the  physical  body.  The  only  way  to 
make  the  brain  keen  and  powerful  is  to  exer- 
cise it  by  original  thinking.  One  way  to  gain 


The  Downward  Road.  13 

soul  powers  is  to  give  free  play  to  the  loftiest 
aspirations  of  which  we  are  capable,  and  to  do 
it  systematically  instead  of  at  random.  We 
grow  to  be  like  the  things  we  think  about. 
Now,  the  reverse  of  all  this  must  be  equally 
true.  To  give  no  thought  to  higher  things, 
to  become  completely  absorbed  in  material 
affairs,  is  to  stifle  the  soul,  to  invite  spiritual 
atrophy. 

Turning  our  attention  to  nature  we  shall  find 
in  the  parasite  convincing  proof  of  all  this. 
The  parasite,  whether  plant  or  animal,  is  living 
evidence  that  to  refuse  or  neglect  to  use  an 
organ  or  faculty  results  in  being  deprived  of 
it.  The  dodder,  says  Drummond,  has  roots  like 
other  plants,  but  when  it  fixes  sucker  discs  on 
the  branches  of  neighboring  plants  and  begins 
to  get  its  food  through  them,  its  roots  perish. 
When  it  fails  to  use  them  it  loses  them.  He 
also  points  to  the  hermit-crab  as  an  illustration 
of  this  great  fact  in  nature,  that  disuse  means 
loss,  and  that  to  shirk  responsibility  is  the  road 
to  degeneration.  The  hermit-crab  was  once 
equipped  with  a  hard  shell  and  with  as  good 
means  of  locomotion  as  other  crabs.  But  in- 
stead of  courageously  following  the  hardy  life 
of  other  crustaceans  it  formed  the  bad  habit 
of  taking  up  its  residence  in  the  cast-off  shells 


14  The  Conditions  of  Progress. 

of  mollusks.  This  made  life  easy  and  indolent. 
But  it  paid  the  price  of  all  shirking.  In  time 
it  lost  four  legs,  while  the  shell  over  the  vital 
portion  of  its  body  degenerated  to  a  thin  mem- 
brane which  leaves  it  practically  helpless  when 
it  is  out  of  its  captured  home.  And  this  is  the 
certain  result  of  all  shirking  of  responsibility. 
There  may  be  an  apparent  temporary  gain,  but 
it  always  means  greater  loss,  either  immediate 
or  remote.  So  nature  punishes  inaction  with 
atrophy.  Whatever  is  not  used  finally  ceases 
to  be.  In  plain  language,  apathy,  inaction, 
idleness,  uselessness,  is  the  road  to  degenera- 
tion. On  the  other  hand,  aspiration  and  activity 
mean  growth,  development,  power. 

So  we  grow,  physically,  mentally  and  mor- 
ally, by  activity,  by  exercise  of  the  organs  or 
the  faculties  we  desire  to  possess.  It  is  only 
by  the  constant  exercise  of  these  things  that 
we  can  grow  at  all.  When  this  great  law  of 
nature  is  understood  we  see  at  once  how  it  is 
that  life  is  full  of  trouble;  why  it  is  that  the 
whole  visible  world  seems  to  be  designed  to 
keep  us  constantly  at  work  physically  and  men- 
tally, to  challenge  our  resourcefulness  in  im- 
proving our  physical,  social  and  political  con- 
ditions, to  continually  try  our  patience  and  to 


We  May  Be  Either  Slaves  or  Masters.      15 

forever  test  our  courage.  It  is  the  way  of 
development.  It  is  the  price  of  progress. 

The  universe  is  a  training  school  for  evolving 
intelligence — a  vast  gymnasium  for  the  de- 
velopment of  moral  fibre.  We  become  mentally 
clever  by  playing  at  the  game  of  life.  We 
match  our  courage  against  its  adversities  and 
acquire  fearlessness.  We  try  our  optimism 
against  its  disappointments  and  learn  cheerful- 
ness. We  pit  our  patience  against  its  failures 
and  gain  persistence.  We  are  torn  from  the 
pinnacle  of  ambition  by  opponents  and  learn 
toleration  of  others.  We  fall  from  the  heights 
of  vanity  and  pride,  and  learn  to  be  modest 
and  humble.  We  encounter  pain  and  sorrow 
and  learn  sympathy  with  suffering.  It  is  only 
by  such  experiences  that  we  can  grow  to 
rounded  measure.  It  is  only  in  an  environment 
thus  adapted  to  our  spiritual  development  that 
we  can  evolve  the  latent  powers  within  us. 

Such  is  the  universe  in  which  we  find  our- 
selves and  from  it  there  is  no  escape.  No  man 
can  avoid  life — not  even  the  foolish  one  who, 
when  the  difficulties  before  him  appear  for  the 
moment  overwhelming,  tries  to  escape  them 
by  suicide.  A  man  cannot  die.  He  can  only 
choose  how  he  will  live.  He  may  either  help- 
lessly drift  through  the  world  suffering  from 


16  All  Powers  Are  Within  Us. 

all  the  ills  and  evils  that  make  so  many  un- 
happy or  he  may  choose  the  method  of  con- 
scious evolution  that  alone  makes  life  truly 
successful.     We  may  be  either  the  suffering  \ 
slaves  of  nature  or  the  happy  masters  of  her  ! 
laws. 

Now,  all  powers  possessed  by  any  human 
being,  no  matter  how  exalted  his  position  in 
evolution,  or  how  sublime  his  spiritual  power, 
are  latent  in  all  human  beings  and  can,  in  time, 
be  developed  and  brought  into  action.  Of 
course  there  is  no  magic  rule  by  which  the 
ignoramus  can  instantly  become  wise  or  by 
which  a  brutal  man  can  be  at  once  transformed 
into  a  saint.  It  may  require  scores  of  incarna- 
tions to  accomplish  a  work  so  great,  but  when 
a  man  reaches  the  point  in  his  evolution  where 
he  begins  to  comprehend  the  purpose  of  life, 
and  to  evolve  the  will  to  put  forth  his  ener- 
gies in  co-operation  with  nature,  his  rise  to 
wisdom  and  power  may  be  swift  indeed.  But 
this  transformation  from  the  darkness  of  ignor- 
ance to  spiritual  illumination,  from  helpless- 
ness "in  the  fell  clutch  of  circumstance"  to 
power  over  nature,  must  be  brought  about  by 
his  own  efforts,  for  it  is  a  process  of  evolu- 
tion— of  forcing  the  latent  to  become  the 
active.  Therefore  one  must  resolve  to  take 


The  First  Step.  17 

oneself  in  hand  for  definite  and  systematic  self- 
development.  Nobody  else  can  do  the  work 
for  us.  Certain  moral  qualities  must  be  gained 
before  there  can  be  spiritual  illumination  and 
genuine  wisdom  and  such  qualities,  or  virtues, 
have  to  be  evolved  by  the  laws  under  which 
all  growth  occurs.  It  is  just  as  impossible  to 
acquire  a  moral  quality  by  reading  about  its 
desirability  as  to  evolve  muscular  strength  by 
watching  the  performance  of  a  group  of  ath- 
letes. To  gain  muscular  strength  one  must 
take  part  in  the  physical  activities  that  pro- 
duce it.  He  must  live  the  athletic  life.  To 
win  spiritual  strength  and  supremacy  he  must 
live  the  spiritual  life.  There  is  no  other  way. 
He  must  first  learn  what  mental  and  moral 
qualities  are  essential,  and  how  to  gain  them, 
and  then  set  earnestly  about  the  work__of 
acquiring  them. 

The  first  thing  necessary  jis  to  g-et  a  clear 
understanding  oj  the  fact  that  the  physical 
bodjf  is  not  the  self  but  only  a  vehicle  or  in- 
strument  through  which  the  self  is  being  man-"& 
ifested  in  the  visible  world.  The  body  is  as 
much  your  instrument  as  the  hand  is,  or  as 
your  pen  is.  It  is  a  thing  which  you,  the  self, 
use  and  a  clear  conception  of  this  fact — a  feel- 
ing that  this  is  the  fact — is  the  first  step  to- 


i8  The  Purpose  Served  by  Desire. 

ward  that  absolute  control  of  the  physical 
body;  that  lays  the  foundation  for  success  in 
conscious  evolution.  When  we  feel  that  in 
managing  the  physical  body  we  are  controlling 
something  that  is  not  ourself  we  are  fairly 
started  on  the  right  road. 

Now,  there  are  three  things  that  a  person 
must  possess  to  be  successful  in  self-develop- 
ment. If  he  has  not  these  three  qualifications 
he  will  make  but  little  progress;  but,  for- 
tunately, any  lacking  quality  can  be  evolved 
and  if  one  does  not  possess  these  three  neces- 
sities his  first  work  is  to  create  them.  These 
three  things  are  an  ardent  desire,  an  iron  will 
and  an  alert  intelligence.  Why  are  these  three 
qualifications  essential  to  success  and  what  pur- 
pose  do  they  serve? 

Desire  is  nature's  motor  power — the  propul- 
sive force  that  pushes  everything  forward  in  its 
evolution.  It  is  desire  that  stimulates  to  action. 
Desire  drives  the  animal  into  the  activities  that 
evolve  its  physical  body  and  sharpen  its  intelli- 
gence. If  it  had  no  desire  it  would  lie  inert 
and  perish.  But  the  desire  for  food,  for  drink, 
for  association  with  its  kind,  impel  it  to  action, 
and  the  result  is  the  evolution  of  strength,  skill 
and  intelligence  in  proportion  to  the  intensity  of 
its  desires*  To  gratify  these  desires  it  will 


Desires  Change  With  Growth.  19 

accept  battle  no  matter  how  great  may  be  the 
odds  against  it  and  will  unhesitatingly  risk  life 
itself  in  the  combat.  Desire  not  only  induces 
the  activity  that  develops  physical  strength  and 
beauty,  but  also  has  its  finer  effects.  Hunger 
compels  the  animal  not  only  to  seek  food,  but  to 
pit  its  cunning  against  that  of  its  prey.  Driven 
forward  by  desire  it  develops,  among  other  quali- 
ties, strength,  courage,  patience,  endurance,  in- 
telligence. 

Desire  plays  the  same  role  with  man  at  his 
higher  stage  of  evolution.  It  stimulates  him  to 
action;  and  always  as  his  activity  satisfies  his 
original  desire  a  new  one  replaces  the  old  and 
lures  him  on  to  renewed  exertion.  The  average 
young  man  beginning  his  business  career,  desires 
only  a  comfortable  cottage.  But  when  that  is 
attained  he  wants  a  mansion.  He  soon  tires  of 
the  mansion  and  wants  a  palace.  Then  he  wants 
several — at  the  seaside,  in  the  city,  and  on  the 
mountains.  At  first  he  is  satisfied  with  a  horse ; 
then  he  demands  an  automobile,  and  finally  a 
steam  yacht.  He  sets  out  as  a  youth  to  earn  a 
livelihood  and  welcomes  a  small  salary.  But 
the  desire  for  money  pushes  him  into  business 
for  himself  and  he  works  tirelessly  for  a  com- 
petence. He  feels  that  a  small  fortune  should 
satisfy  anybody  but  when  he  gets  it  he  wants 


2O  The  Real  Reward. 

to  be  a  millionaire.     If  he  succeeds  in  that  he 
then  desires  to  become  a  multi-millionaire. 

Whether  the  desire  is  for  wealth,  or  for  fame, 
or  for  power,  the  same  result  follows — when 
the  desire  is  satisfied  a  greater  one  takes  its  place 
and  spurs  the  ambitious  one  to  still  further 
exertion.  He  grasps  the  prize  he  believes  to 
contain  complete  satisfaction  only  to  discover 
that  while  he  was  pursuing  it  desire  had  grown 
beyond  it,  and  so  the  goal  he  would  attain  is 
always  far  ahead  of  him.  Thus  are  we  tricked 
and  apparently  mocked  by  nature  until  we  finally 
awake  to  the  fact  that  all  the  objects  of  desire — 
the  fine  raiment,  the  jewels,  the  palaces,  the 
wealth,  the  power,  are  but  vain  and  empty  things ; 
and  that  the_real  reward  for  all  pur  efforts  to 
secure  them  is  not  these  objects  at  all  but  the 
new  powers  we  have  evolved  in  getting  them; 
powers  that  we  did  not  before  possess  and  which 
we  should  not  have  evolved  but  for  nature's 
great  propulsive  force — desire.  The  man  who 
accumulates  a  fortune  by  many  years  of  per- 
sistent effort  in  organizing  and  developing  a 
business  enterprise,  by  careful  planning  and  deep 
thinking,  may  naturally  enough  look  upon  the 
fortune  he  will  possess  for  a  few  years  before 
it  passes  on  to  others,  as  his  reward.  But  the 
truth  is  that  it  is  a  very  transient  and  perishable 


How  to  Transmute  Desire.  21 

and  worthless  thing  compared  to  the  new  powers 
that  were  unconsciously  evolved  in  getting  it — 
powers  that  will  be  retained  by  the  man  and  be 
brought  into  use  in  future  incarnations. 

Desire,  then,  plays  a  most  important  role  in 
human  evolution.  It  awakens,  stimulates,  pro- 
pels. What  wind  is  to  the  ship,  what  steam  is  to 
the  locomotive,  desire  is  to  the  human  being. 

It  has  been  written  in  a  great  book,  "Kill  out 
desire,"  and  elsewhere  it  is  written,  "Resist  not 
evil."  We  may  find,  in  similar  exalted  pro- 
nouncements, truths  that  are  very  useful  to  dis- 
ciples but  which  might  be  confusing  and  mis- 
leading to  the  man  of  the  world  if  he  attempted 
to  literally  apply  them.  Perhaps  for  the  average 
mortal  "kill  out  desire"  might  be  interpreted 
"transmute  desire"  Without  desire  man  would 
be  in  a  deathlike  and  dangerous  condition — a 
condition  in  which  further  progress  would  be 
impossible.  But  by  transmuting  the  lower 
desires  into  the  higher  he  moves  steadily  forward 
and  upward  without  losing  the  motive  power 
that  urges  him  forever  onward. 

To  transmute  desire,  to  continually  replace  the 
lower  with  the  higher,  really  is  killing  desire  out 
but  it  is  doing  it  by  the  slow  and  safe  evolution- 
ary process.  As  to  crushing  it  suddenly,  that  is 
simply  impossible;  but  substitution  may  work 


22          Changing  the  Lower  to  the  Higher. 

wonders.  Suppose,  for  example,  that  a  young 
man  is^ a  gambler  and  his  parents  are  much  dis- 
tressed about  it.  The  common  and  foolish 
course  is  to  lecture  him  on  the  sin  of  gambling 
and  to  tearfully  urge  him  to  associate  only  with 
very  proper  young  men.  But  the  young  gambler 
is  not  in  the  least  interested  in  that  sort  of  a  life, 
which  appears  to  him  to  be  a  kind  of  living 
death,  and  such  entreaty  does  not  move  him. 
His  parents  would  do  better  by  looking  more 
closely  into  the  case.  Why  is  he  a  gambler  ?  He 
desires  money.  He  seeks  excitement.  He  wants 
to  live  in  an  atmosphere  of  intense  life  and 
activity.  Very  well.  These  desires  are  quite 
right  in  themselves.  It  is  useless  to  try  to  crush 
them.  It  is  nonsense  to  argue  that  he  does  nojt 
want  these  things.  Clearly  enough  he  does  want 
them  and  that  is  precisely  why  he  gambles.  Then 
do  not  attempt  the  impossibility  of  killing  the 
desire  but  change  the  objects  of  his  desires.  Say 
to  him:  You  desire  money  and  a  life  full  of 
turbulence  and  excitement.  Well,  you  can  get 
all  that  in  a  better  and  a  legitimate  way  and  have 
the  respect  of  your  friends  besides.  You  can 
go  into  politics.  That  is  a  field  within  the  pale 
of  the  law  and  in  it  you  can  have  scope  for  all 
the  energy  and  activity  and  intensity  of  life  you 
long  for,  with  all  the  element  of  chance  which 


Any  Vice  or  Fault  May  be  Remedied.    23 

you  find  so  attractive.  And  when  the  young  man 
has  had  his  fling  there  and  tires  of  it  then  some- 
thing else  can  be  attempted.  But  to  try  to  crush 
desire  and  curb  the  outrushing  life  is  both  foolish 
and  impossible.  We  can  only  direct  it. 

There  are,  of  course,  certain  gross  desires  that 
must  be  gotten  rid  of  by  the  most  direct  and  least 
objectionable    method,    and    when    one    really 
desires  to  be  free  from  a  given  vice  or  moral 
^.     weakness    and   sets    earnestly    and   intelligently 

L  about  it  his  release  is  not  so_difficult  as  the  com- 
plete tyranny  of  most  vices^jKQuld^Jead,  one  to 

^suppose.  There  is  a  process  by  which  any  of 
us  may  be  free  if  we  will  take^  the^  •trouble  to 
patiejTfcjnit  it  into  practice.  This  method  will 
apply  to  any  desire  from  which  we  wish  to  be 
released.  For  example,  let  us  take  the  person 
who  has  a  settled  desire  for  alcoholic  stimulants 
but  really  wishes  to  be  rid  of  it  forever.  Many 
people  who  are  thus  afflicted  to  the  point  where 
they  occasionally  become  intoxicated  feel,  when 
they  recover  their  normal  condition,  that  no  price 
would  be  too  great  to  pay  for  freedom  from  this 
humiliating  habit.  As  a  rule  such  a  man  tries  to 
close  his  eyes  to  his  shame  and  forget  it,  prom- 
ising himself  that  he  will  be  stronger  when  the 
temptation  again  assails  him.  But  it  is  just  this 
putting  it  aside,  this  casting  it  out  of  his  mind, 


24  The  Method  of  Escape. 

that  perpetuates  his  weakness.  He  instinctively 
shrinks  from  dwelling  upon  the  thought  of 
whither  he  is  drifting.  So  he  puts  the  unpleas- 
ant subject  aside  altogether  and  when  the  inner 
desire  asserts  itself  again  he  finds  himself  pre- 
cisely as  helpless  as  before. 

Now,  his  certain  method  of  escape  from  this 
tyranny  of  desire  is  to  turn  his  mind  resolutely  to 
an  examination  of  the  whole  question.  Let  him 
look  the  facts  in  the  face,  however  humiliating 
they  may  be.  He  should  call  his  imagination  to 
^fifs  assistance.  It  should  be  used  to  picture  to 
*J  himself  his  future  if  he  does  not  succeed  in 
*  breaking  up  the  unfortunate  slavery  of  the  desire 
nature.  He  should  think  of  the  fact  that  as  he 
grows  older  the  situation  grows  worse.  He 
should  picture  himself  as  the  helpless,  repulsive 
sot,  with  feeble  body  and  weakening  mind,  and 
reflect  upon  the  humiliation  he  must  endure,  the 
poverty  he  must  face,  and  the  physical  and  men- 
tal pain  he  must  bear  in  the  future  if  he  now 
fails  to  break  the  desire  ties  that  bind  him.  This 
creates  in  him  a  feeling  of  repulsion  toward  the 
cause  of  it  all ;  and  if  he  continues  to  think  daily 
upon  this  hideous  picture  of  what  he  is  slowly 
drifting  toward — if  he  daily  regards  it  all  with 
a  feeling  of  slight  repulsion — then  even  within 


How  We  Should  Use  Desire.  25 

a  month  or  two  he  will  find  that  his  desire  for 
drink  is  slowly  fading  out. 

This  is  as  true  of  all  other  desires  Jhat  enslave 
us.  The  desire  for  alcoholic  stimulants  merely 
illustrates  the  principle  involved.  Any  desire 
from  which  one  wishes  to  be  free  may  be  escaped 
by  the  same  method.  ,  But  one  who  would  free 
himself  from  the  desire-nature  should  not  make 
the  mistake  of  creating  a  feeling  of  intense  hos- 
tility toward  the  thing  he  seeks  to  escape;  for 
hatred  is  also  a  tie^.  He  should  merely  reach  a 
position  of  complete  indifference.  He  should  Jp 
think^of  jt_jiot  jwith__settled  hostility,  but_with 
slight_re£ulsion  ;  and  if  he  does  that  daily,  men- 
tally dwelling  upoji  the  pain  and  humiliation 
it  causes,  he  will  find  the_ties  loosening,  the 


Desire  is  a  force  that  may  be  beneficial  or 
detrimental,  according  to  its  use.  As  we  may 
eradicate  a  desire  so  may  we^  create  a  desire. 
How,  then,  may  one  who  seeks  the  highest  self- 
development  use  desire,  this  propulsive  force  of 
nature,  to  help  himself  forward?  He  should 
desire  spiritual  progress  most  earnestly,  for  with- 
out such  desire  he  cannot  succeed.  Therefore  if 
the  aspirant  does  not  have  the  ardent  desire  for 
spiritual  illumination  he  must  create  it.  To 
accomplish  this  let  him  again  call  imagination  to 


26  Creating  Right  Desires. 

his  assistance.  Let  him  picture  himself  as  hav- 
ing his  power  for  usefulness  many  times  multi- 
plied b^_occult_development.  He  should  think  of 
himself  as  possessing  the  inner  sight  that  enables 
him  to  understand  the  difficulties  of  others  and  to 
comprehend  their  sorrows.  He  should  daily 
think  of  the  fact  that  this  would  so  broaden  and 
quicken  his  sympathies  that  he  would  be  enor- 
mously more  useful  in  the  world  than  he  can  now 
possibly  be  and  that  he  could  become  a  source  of 
happiness  to  thousands.  Let  him  reflect  that  as 
he  gets  farther  along  in  occult  development  and  in 
unselfishness  and  spiriuality  he  may  have  the 
inestimable  privilege  of  coming  into  contact  with 
some  of  the  exalted  intelligences  that  watch 
over  and  assist  the  struggling  aspirants  on  their 
upward  way.  He  should  daily  recall  the  fact  that 
he  is  now  moving  forward  toward  a  freer,  richer, 
more  joyous  life  than  he  has  yet  known  and  that 
every  effort  brings  him  nearer  to  its  realization. 
Thus  dwelling  on  the  subject  in  its  various 
aspects  he  creates  the_ardent  desire  that^serves 
to  propel  him  forward^ 

If  he  feels  that  these  things  make  an  ideal  a 
little  too  high  for  him  at  present  he  may  reach 
that  point  by  degrees.  He  may  at  first  dwell  in 
thought  upon  the  personal  satisfaction  that  would 
come  from  the  possession  of  astral  sight.  Let 


Some  Dangerous  Ground.  27 

him  reflect  upon  what  it  would  mean  to  be  con- 
scious of  the  invisible  world ;  to  have  all  its  won- 
ders laid  open  before  him;  to  be  able  to  con- 
sciously meet  the  so-called  dead,  Including  his 
own  friends  and  relatives ;  to  be  able  to  have  the 
positive  personal  proof  that  we  survive  the  death 
of  the  physical  body ;  to  be  able  to  become  one  of 
the  "invisible  helpers"  of  the  world:  to  have 
available  the  priceless  advantages  of  the  astral 
region  and  to  bring  the  consciousness  of  all  this 
into  the  physical  life.  That  is  certainly  something 
worth  all  the  time  and  effort  required  to  attain  it. 
Thus  thinking  constantly  of  the  widened  life  and 
added  powers  it  would  confer,  the  desire  to  move 
forward  in  self -development  will  be  greatly  stim- 
ulated. But  the  student  should  always  keep  it  in 
mind  that  the  real  purpose  of  acquiring  new  pow- 
ers is  to  increase  his  cap.acity.  for  servicejto  the 
race,  and  that  he  who  falls  short  of  that  ideal 
walks  upon  dangerous  ground. 

The  second  requisite  is  a  firm  will.  It  should 
not  be  forgotten  that  an  unusual  and  difficult 
thing  is  being  attempted  in  which  a  person  of 
weak  will  cannot  possibly  hope  to  succeed.  Even 
in  the  ordinary  life  of  the  world  considerable  will 
power  is  essential  to  success.  To  succeed  in  busi- 
ness, to  become  expert  in  a  profession,  or  to  com- 
pletely master  an  art,  requires  strong  will,  deter- 


28  The  Power  of  the  Will. 

mination,  perseverance.  The  difficulties  in  occult 
development  are  still  greater  and,  while  it  is 
true  that  any  degree  of  effort  is  well  worth 
while,  the  weaklings_  will  not  g-p^  far.  Only 
those  with  the  indomitable  will  that  knows 
neither  surrender  nor  compromise  may  hope 
for  a  large  measure  of  success.  Once  the  will 
is  thoroughly  aroused  and  brought  into  action 
every  hindrance  in  the  way  win  be  swept  aside. 

"The  human  will,  that  force  unseen, 
The  offspring  of  a  deathless  soul, 
Can  hew  a  way  to  any  goal 
Tho'  walls  of  granite  intervene. 
#     *     *     * 

"Be   not   impatient   of  delay, 

But  wait  as  one  who  understands. 
When  spirit  rises  and  commands 
The  gods  are  ready  to  obey." 

Mighty,  indeed,  is  this  force  when  aroused. 
But  a  person  may  be  easily  deceived  about  his 
will.  He  is  likely  to  think  that  his  will  is  much 
stronger  than  it  really  is.  He  may  say  to  himself, 
"Oh,  yes,  I  would  go  through  anything  for  the 
sake  of  the  higher  life  and  spiritual  illumination." 
But  that  is  no  guarantee  that  after  a  few  months 
of  monotonous  work  he  may  not  abandon  it 
unless  he  adopts  the  wise  plan  of  strengthening 
his  will  as  he  moves  forward.  Let  him  begin  this 
by  testing  his  present  strength  of  will,  but  let 
him  not  be  discouraged  by  the  result.  He  should 


How  to  Test  the  Will.  29 

remember  tkat  whatever  he  lacks  in  will  power 
he  can  evolve  by  proper  effort. 

To  find  out  whether  he  really  has  much 
strength  of  will  a  person  may  begin  to  observe  to 
what  extent  he  permits  his  daily  plans  to  be 
modified,  or  entirely  changed,  by  the  things  that 
run  counter  to  his  will.  Does  he  hold  steadfastly 
to  his  purpose  or  does  he  weakly  surrender  to 
small  obstacles?  Has  he  the  will  power  to  even 
begin  the  day  as  he  has  planned  it  ?  The  evening 
before  he  decides  that  he  will  rise  at  six  o'clock 
the  next  morning.  He  knows  there  are  certain 
excellent  reasons  why  he  should  do  so  and  he 
retires  with  the  matter  fully  decided.  It  is  posi- 
tively settled  that  at  exactly  six  o'clock  the  day's 
program  shall  begin.  But  when  the  clock  strikes 
that  hour  the  next  morning  he  feels  strongly 
disinclined  to  obey  the  summons.  It  involves 
some  bodily  discomfort  to  rise  at  that  moment 
and  he  concludes  that,  after  all,  perhaps  he  was 
a  bit  hasty  the  evening  before  in  fixing  upon 
that  hour !  Whereupon  he  reconsiders  the  matter 
and  makes  it  seven ;  and  when  that  time  arrives 
he  generously  extends  it  to  eight  o'clock.  The 
hour,  of  course,  is  unimportant.  But  whatever 
may  have  been  the  hour  that  was  previously 
determined  upon  the  keeping  of  that  determina- 
tion is  of  the  greatest  importance  and  the  failure 


30  The  Necessity  of  Compulsion. 

to  put  the  resolution  into  effect  is  evidence  of  the 
possession  of  a  weakwill. 

Now  all  this  proves  that  such  persons  have 
very  little  real  will  power,  for  they  permit  the 
desire  for  trifling  bodily  comfort  to  set  their 
plans  aside.  Such  persons  are  still  slaves  to  the 
physical  body  and  weakly  permit  it  to  upset  care- 
fully outlined  programs.  They  are  not  yet  ready 
for  good  work  in  occult  development,  where  real 
success  can  come  only  to  those  who  have  stead- 
fast strength  of  purpose. 

People  who  fail  to  assert  the  will  and  bring  the 
body  into  complete  subjection  probably  little  real- 
ize what  a  price  they  pay  for  a  trifling  physical 
pleasure ;  for  until  we  voluntarily  take  the  right 
course  we  have  not  escaped  the  evolutionary 
necessity  of  compulsion  and  may  reasonably 
expect  sooner  or  later  to  be  thrown  into  an  en- 
vironment that  will  apply  the  stimulus  we  still 
need  to  arouse  the  will.  It  may  be  unpleasant 
while  it  is  occurring,  but  what  better  fortune 
could  befall  an  indolent  man  than  to  find  hjm- 
selfjn^circumstances^ where  his  poverty  or  other 
n ecessity^ompels  Jijm  to  subordinate  bodily  com- 
fort to  the  reign  of  the  will?  Nature  provides 
the  lessons  we  require.  We  may  wisely  co-oper- 
ate  with  her  and  thus __escape  the  sting,  gut 


By  Co-operation  We  Escape  the  Sting.      31 

so  long  as  we  need  the  lesson  wemay_be  quite 
sure  that  it 


All  the  business  activities  9!  the  world  are 
developing  the  will.  Through  them  will  and 
desire  work  together  in  evolving  latent  powers. 
Desire  arouses  will  power.  A  man  desires 
wealth  and  the  desire  plunges  him  into  business 
activities  and  stimulates  the  will  by  wjijch  he 
overcomes  all  the  difficulties  that  lie  in  his  way. 
Ardent  desire  for  an  education  arouses  the  will 
of  the  student  and  the  awakened  will  triumphs 
over  poverty  and  all  other  barriers  between  him 
and  the  coveted  diploma.  If  a  man  stands  at  a 
lower  point  in  evolution  where  he  has  not  the 
ambition  for  intellectual  culture  nor  for  fame 
nor  for  wealth,  but  only  the  desire  for  shelter  and 
food,  still  that  primitive  desife  forces  him  into 
action;  and  while  his  will  power  will  be  evolved 
only  in  proportion  to  the  strength  of  the  desire 
that  prompts  him,  it  must  nevertheless  grow. 
Instead  of  rising  at  a  certain  hour  because  the 
will  decrees  it  he  may  rise  only  because  he  knows 
his  livelihood  depends  upon  it.  But  he  is  learn- 
ing the  same  lesson  —  the  overcoming  of  the 
inertia  of  the  physical  body  —  albeit  it  is  com- 
pulsory instead  of  voluntary.  But  all  this  is_ 
unconscious  evolution.  It  is  the  long,  slow, 
painful  process.  It  is  the  only  way  possible  for 


32  How  to  Strengthen  the  Will. 

those  who  are  not  wise  enough  to  co-operate  with 
nature  in  her  evolutionary  work  and  thus  rise 
above  the  necessity  of  compulsion. 

How,  then,  may  we  develop  the  will  when  it  is 
so  weak  that  we  are  still  the  slaves  of  nature 
instead  of  the  masters  of  destiny?  Will  power, 
like  any  other  faculty,  may  be  cultivated  and 
made  strong.  To  do  this  one  may  plan  in 
advance  what  he  will  do  under  certain  circum- 
stances and  then  carry  out  the  program  with- 
out evasion  or  hesitation  when  the  time  arrives. 
His  forethought  will  enable  him  to  do  this 
if  he  does  not  undertake  things  too  difficult 
at  first.  Let  him  resolve  to  do  at  a  certain  hour 
some  small  thing  which,  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  his  duties,  he  sees  is  necessary  but  unpleasant; 
and  then  firmly  resolve  in  advance  that  exactly 
at  the  appointed  time  he  will  do  it.  Thus  forti- 
fied before  the  trial  comes  he  will  probably  go 
successfully  through  with  it.  After  once  decid- 
ing upon  the  time  there  should  be  no  post- 
ponement and  not  an  instant's  delay  when  the 
moment  arrives. 

One  of  the  things  we  have  to  learn  is  to  over- 
come the  inertia  of  the  physical  body  and  many 
people  are  not  really  awake  on  the  physical  plane 
because  they  have  not  done  so.  To  a  certain 
extent  they  are  "dead"  within  the  physical 


Death  in  a  Living  Body.  33 

body  for  it  is  a  condition  much  nearer  death  than 
that  supposed  death  of  one  who  no  longer  has 
the  physical  body.  The  inert  mass  of  physical 
matter  in  which  such  people  are  functioning 
leaves  them  only  half  alive  until  they  have 
aroused  themselves  from  its  domination.  They 
remind  one  of  the  lines : 

"Life  is  a  mystery,  death  is  a  doubt, 
And  some  folks  are  dead 
While  they're  walking  about!" 

This  inertia  of  the  physical  body  that  so  often 
renders  people  nearly  useless  is  very  largely  a 
matter  of  habit  and  can  be  overcome  to  a  sur- 
prising degree  bv_  simply  using  a  _  little  will- 
power. Everybody  is  familiar  with  the  fact  that 
it  is  sometimes  much  easier  to  think  and  act  than 
at  other  times.  But  perhaps  it  is  not  so  well 
known  that  the  dull  periods  can  invariably  be 
overcome  by  an  effort  of  the  will  and  the  physi- 
cal body  be  made  to  do  its  proper  work.  An 
actor  or  lecturer  after  months  of  continuous 
work  may  find  the  brain  and  body  growing  tired 
and  dull.  He  may  feel  when  going  before  his 
audience  that  he  has  not  an  idea  nor  the  wit  to 
express  it  were  someone  else  to  furnish  it.  Yet 
by  an  effort  of  the  will  he  can  quickly  overcome 
the 'condition  and  change  from  stupidity  to  men- 
tal alertness  and  intensity  of  thought.  The  self 


34  From  Stupidity  to  Alertness. 

is  never  tired.  It  is  only  the  physical  body  that 
grows  weary.  It  is  true  that  it  has  its  limitations 
and  must  not  be  overtaxed  and  driven  beyond 
endurance  as  a  tired  horse  is  sometimes  cruelly 
urged  forward  with  whip  and  spur.  Judgment 
must  always  be  usedin  determining  onels^apacitv 
forjwork.  But  that  which  is  to  be  done  should 
•never  be  done  draggingly,  with  the  inertia  of  the 
physical  body  marring  the  work.  We  should  be 
fully  awake  instead  of  "dead"  while  we  "are 
walking  about."  If  a  person  resolves  to  be  the 
master  of  the  body  he  may  soon  acquire  the 
power  to  arouse  it  to  activity  and  altertness  dur- 
ing all  his  waking  hours,  very  much  as  one  may 
acquire  the  habit  of  keen  observation  and  be 
conscious  of  what  is  occurring  in  his  vicinity  in- 
stead of  being  carelessly  unconscious  of  the 
major  portion  of  what  is  going  on  immediately 
about  him. 

This  matter  of  giving  attention  to  the  things 
that  may  properly  engage  the  mind,  and  of  using 
the  will  to  arouse  and  control  it,  is  of  very  great 
importance.  Is  it  not  what  we  call  "paying  at- 
tention" that  makes  the  connection  between  the 
ego  and  the  objective  world?  Giving  attention 
is  a  process  of  consciousness.  The  person  who 
fails  in  attention  misses  the  purpose  of  life  and 
throws  away  valuable  time  and  opportunity.  To 


Training  the  Attention.  35 

give  attention  is  to  be  alive  and  awake  and  in  a 
condition  to  make  the  most  of  limited  physical 
life.  Yet  many  people  cannot  give  sustained 
attention  to  an  ordinary  conversationnor  direct 
the  mind  with  sufficient  precision  to  state  a  sin> 
ple_fact^without  wandering  aimlessly  about  in  the 
effprt,  bringing  in  various  incidental  matters  un- 
til the  original  subject,  instead  of  being  made 
clear,  is  obscured  in  a  maze  of  unimportant  de- 
tails or  lost  sight  of  altogether. 

Such  habits  of  mind  should  be  put  resolutely 
aside  by  one  who  would  hasten  self-development. 
The  attention  should  be  fixed  deliberately  upon 
the  subject  in  hand,  whatever  it  may  be,  and 
nothing  should  be  permitted  to  break  the  con- 
nection between  that  and  the  mind,.  Whether  it 
is  a  conversation  or  a  book,  or  a  manual  task,  or 
a  problem  being  silently  worked  out  intellectually, 
'  it  should  have  undivided  attention  until  the  mind 
is  ready  for  something  else. 

Perhaps  few  of  us  give  to  any  subject  the  close 
attention  which  alone  can  prove  its  own  effective- 
iiess  and  demonstrate  the  fact  that  there  goes 
with  such  steadily  sustained  attention  a  subtle 
power  of  extended,  or  accentuated,  consciousness. 
When  ten  minutes  is  given  to  a  certain  subject 
and  other_thoughts  are  constantly  intruding,  so 
that  when  the  ten  minutes  have  passed  only  five 


36          Concentration  Produces  Results. 

minutes  have  actually  been  devoted  to  the  subject, 
the  result  is  by  no  means  a  half  of  what  would 
have  been  accomplished  had  the  whole  of  the  ten 
minutes  been  given  to  uninterrupted  attention. 
The  time  thus  spent  in  wavering  attention  is 
practically  without  effect.  The  connection  be- 
tween mind  and  subject  has  not  been  complete. 
Mind  and  subject  were,  so  to  say,  out  of  focus. 
Attention  must  be  sustained  to  the  point  where 
it  becomes  concentration.  The  mind  must  be 
used  as  a  sun-glass  can  be  used.  Hold  the  glass 
between  sun  and  paper,  out  of  focus,  for  an  hour 
and  nothing  will  happen.  A  yellow  circle  of 
light  falls  on  the  paper  and  that  is  all.  But  bring 
it  into  perfect  focus,  concentrating  the  rays  to  the 
finest  possible_jx)int,  and  the  paper  turns  brown 
and  finally  bursts  into  the  fire  that  will  consume 
it.  They  are  the  same  rays  that  were  previously 
ineffective.  Concentration  produced  results. 

The  mind  must  be  brought  under  such  com- 
plete  control  of  the  will  that  it  can  be  manipu- 
lated like  a  search-light,  turned  in  this  direction 
or  that,  or  flung  full  upon  some  obscure  subject 
and  held  steadily  there  till  it  illuminates  every 
detail  of  it,  as  the  search-light  sends  a  dazzling 
ray  through  space  and  shows  every  rock  and 
tree  on  a  hillside  far  away  through  the  darkness 
of  the  night. 


Why  Knowledge  is  Necessary. 


37 


The  third  necessity  is  keen  intelligence.  The 
force  of  desire,  directed^  by  the  will,  must_be 
supplemented  by  an  alert  mind.  There  is  a 
popular  notion  that  good  motives  are  sufficient  in 
themselves  and  that  when  one  has  the  desire  to 
attain  spiritual  illumination,  plus  the  will  to 
achieve,  nothing  more  is  needed  but  purity  of 
purpose.  But  this  is  a  misconception.  It  is  true 
that  the  mystic  makes  devotion  the  vital  thing  m 
his  spiritual  growth;  and  it  is  also  true  that  the 
threejggtHs/  ojT  ajBon,  knowledge  and  devotion 
blend  andbecome  one  at  a_.higner  stage.  But 
while  there  are  methods  of  development  in  which 
intellect  is  not  at  first  made  a  chief  factor  it  can 
by  no  means  be  ignored  in  the  long-run ;  nor  are 
we  now  considering  those  methods.  A  good  in- 
tellect, therefore,  is  a  necessary  part  of  the  equip- 
ment. 

Good  motives  play  a  most  important  part,  in- 
deed, in  occult  progress.  They  safeguard  the 
aspirant  on  his  upward  way.  Without  pure 
motives,  without  a  large  measure  of  unselfish- 
ness, the  greatest  dangers  would  encompass  him. 
But  good  motives  cannot  take  the  place  of  good 
sense  and  relieve  him  of  the  necessity  of  think- 
ing. He  must  develop  judgment  and  discrimina- 
tion. There  are  things  he  must  know,  and  he 
jnust  use  his  knowledge,  or  difficulties  will  follow 


38  Good  Motives  Not  Sufficient. 

no  matter  how  noble  may  be  his  intentions.  Sup- 
pose, for  illustration,  that  two  men  set  out  upon 
a  dark  night  to  cross  a  wild  and  rugged  piece  of 
ground — one  with  bad  motives  and  the  other 
with  good.  One  is  going  out  to  rob  a  house  and 
if  need  be,  to  kill  anybody  who  might  try  to 
interfere  with  his  plans.  His  motives  are  very 
bad  but  he  has  perfect  knowledge  of  the  dan- 
gerous ground  he  is  to  cross  and  he  will  therefore 
travel  over  it  in  safety.  The  other  man  has  the 
best  of  motives.  He  is  going  to  spend  the  night 
with  a  sick  and  helpless  neighbor.  But  he  has 
no  knowledge  of  the  rough  and  treacherous 
ground  he  must  cross  in  the  darkness  and  his 
good  motives  will  not  insure  him  against  stumb- 
ling over  the  stones  or  falling  into  a  ditch  and 
breaking  his  arm.  Good  motives  are  not  enough. 
We  must  know  !  Progress  in  occultism  is_  im- 
possible without  knowledge. 

But  how  is  a  keen,  alert  intelligence  to  be  ac- 
quired if  we  do  not  possess  it?  Like  any  other 
latent  faculty  or  power  it  may  be  evolvec}.  As 
the  physical  strength  may  be  steadily  increased 
by  constant  exercise  of  the  muscles,  so  mind  may 
increase  in  power  by  systematic  work.  It  should 
be  exercised  in  original  thinking.  A  stated 
period,  if  only  a  quarter  of  an  hour  daily,  can 
be  set  aside  for  the  purpose.  A  book  on  a  se- 


How  to  Build  Up  the  Intellect.  39 

rious  subject  will  furnish  material  but  the  too 
common  method  of  reading,  of  following  the 
author  lazily  and  accepting  whatever  he  sets  forth 
as  a  matter  of  course,  is  of  little  value.  One  must 
read  with  discrimination,  receiving  the  ideas 
offered  as  a  juryman  would  receive  testimony 
from  a  witness,  considering  it  from  every  pos- 
sible viewpoint,  examining  it  in  the  light  of 
known  facts,  turning  it  over  in  the  mind,  weigh- 
ing it  thoughtfully,  and  accepting  or  rejecting 
according  to  its  reasonableness  or  its  lack  of 
reason.  In  such  mental  work  for  intellectual 
growth  each  paragraph  can  be  considered  by 
itself  and  only  a  small  portion  of  the  time  should 
be  given  to  the  reading  while  the  remainder  is 
devoted  to  pondering  over  what  has  been  read. 
Of  course  a  specific  study  is  an  advantage  and 
perhaps  nothing  is  better  than  to  study  occult- 
ism, thinking  deeply  upon  the  problems  of 
human  evolution. 

Another  method  that  goes  admirably  with  such 
work  is  the  close  observation  and  study  of  all  the 
life  in  manifestation  about  us.  We  should  try  to 
comprehend  people,  to  observe  and  understand 
them.  Every  word,  act  and  facial  expression  has 
its  meaning  to  be  caught  and  interpreted.  All 
this  will  not  ooily  sharpen  the  wits  but  also 
strengthen  human  sympathy  for  it  enables  us  the 


4O  The  Use  of  the  Imagination. 

better  to  know  the  difficulties  and  sorrows  of 
others.  If  such  practices  are  followed  faithfully 
day  by  day  the  growth  will  be  steady. 

Still  another  useful  practice  is  to  exercise  the 
imagination,  the  art  of  creating  mental  pictures 
with  no  physical  object  present.  The  face  of  an 
absent  friend  can  be  called  up  in  the  mind  and 
reproduced  in  every  detail — the  color  of  the  eyes 
and  hair,  the  various  moods  and  expressions.  Or 
one's  childhood  home  can  be  recalled  and  the 
imagination  made  to  reconstruct  it.  The  house 
being  complete  the  landscape  can  be  reproduced, 
with  the  hills,  trees  and  roads.  Repeated  prac- 
tice at  "seeing  mentally"  is  of  the  greatest  value 
in  occult  development. 

While  the  aspirant  is  thus  working  to  improve 
the  three  essential  qualifications  of  desire,  will 
and  intelligence — to  intensify  his  desire  to  pos- 
sess powers  for  the  helping  of  others,  to 
strengthen  the  will  to  get  such  powers,  and  to 
steadily  improve  the  intellect — he  should  also 
be  giving  most  earnest  attention  to  meditation, 
for  it  is  through  this  practice  that  the  most  re- 
markable results  may  be  produced  in  the  trans- 
formation of  his  bodies,  visible  and  invisible, 
through  which  the  ego  manifests  itself  in  the 
physical  world.  In  the  degree  that  these  are 
organized  and  made  sensitive  and  responsive  they 


The  Importance  of  Meditation  41 

cease  to  be  limitations  of  consciousness.  Such 
sensitiveness  and  responsiveness  may  be  brought 
about  by  meditation,  together  with  proper  atten- 
tion to  the  purification  of  the  physical  and  astral 
bodies ;  for  purity  and  sensitiveness  go  together. 

Meditation  is  a  subject  so  very  important  to 
the  aspirant  that  specific  instructions  should  guide 
him.  The  average  person,  used  to  the  turbulent 
life  of  occidental  civilization,  will  find  it  a  suffi- 
ciently difficult  matter  to  control  the  mind,  and  to 
finally  acquire  the  power  to  direct  it  as  he  desires, 
even  with  all  the  conditions  in  his  favor.  The 
serene  hours  of  morning  are  the  most  favorable 
of  the  twenty-four  for  meditation.  Regularity 
has  a  magic  of  its  own  and  the  hour  should 
be  the  same  each  morning.  To  be  alone  in  sur- 
roundings as  quiet  as  possible  is  another  essential. 
The  most  desirable  time  for  meditation  is  soon 
after  awakening  in  the  morning.  Before  turn- 
ing  the  mind  to  any  of  the  business  affairs  of  ' 
the  day  let  the  aspirant  sit  calmly  down  and 
mediate  upon  any  wholesome  thought,  like 
patience,  courage  or  compassion,  keeping  the 
mind  steadily  upon  the  subject  for  five  minutes. 

Two  very  important  things  are  being  accom- 
plished by  such  meditation.  First,  we  are  get- 
ting control  of  the  mind  and  learning  to  direct 
it  where  and  how  we  choose;  and,  second,  we 


42  What  Meditation  Does  For  Us. 

are  attracting  and  building  into  the  bodies  we 
possess  certain  grades  of  imponderable  matter 
that  will  make  thinking  and  acting  along  these 
lines  easier  and  easier  for  us  until  they  are  estab- 
lished habits  and  w^_actually  become  in  daily  life 
patient,  courageous  and  compassionate.  What- 
ever qualities  or  virtues  we  desire  to  possess  may 
be  gained  through  the  art  of  meditation  and  the 
effort  to  live  up  to  the  ideal  dwelt  upon  daily 
by  the  mind. 

While  it  is  absolutely  true  that  any  human 
being  can  make  of  himself  that  which  he  desires 
to  be — can  literally  raise  himself  to  any  ideal 
he  is  capable  of  conceiving — it  must  not  be  sup- 
posed that  it  can  be  done  in  a  short  time  and  by 
intermittent  effort.  We  sometimes  hear  it  said 
that  all  we  need  do  is  to  realize  that  all  power 
is  within  us,  when,  presto !  we  are  the  thing  we 
would  be!  It  is  quite  true  that  we  must  realize 
their  existence  before  we  can  call  the  latent  pow- 
ers into  expression;  but  the  work  of  arousing 
the  latent  into  the  active  is  a  process  of  growth, 
of  actual  evolutionary  change.  The  physical 
body  as  it  is  now  is  not  sensitive  enough  to 
respond  to  subtle  vibrations.  Its  brain  is  not 
capable  of  receiving  and  registering  the  delicate 
vibrations  sent  outward  by  the  ego,  and  the  task 
of  changing  it  so  that  it  can  do  so  is  not  a  trifling 


Not  Miracle  But  Evolution.  43 

or  easy  one.  But  every  effort  produces  its  effect 
and  to  the  persistent  and  patient  devotee  of  self- 
development  the  final  result  is  certain.  But  it  is 
not  a  matter  of  miraculous  accomplishment.  It 
is  a  process  of  inner  growth.  There  are,  it  is 
quite  true,  cases  in  which  people  who  have  en- 
tered upon  this  method  of  self -development  have, 
in  a  short  time,  attained  spiritual  illumination, 
becoming  fully  conscious  of  the  invisible  world 
and  its  inhabitants  while  awake  in  the  physical 
body;  extending  the  horizon  of  consciousness  to 
include  both  worlds,  and  coming  into  possession 
of  the  higher  clairvoyance  that  enables  one  to 
trace  past  causes  and  modify  impending  effects. 
But  such  people  are  those  who  have  given  so 
much  attention  to  self-development  in  past  lives 
that  they  have  now  but  little  more  to  do  in  order 
to  come  into  full  possession  of  occult  powers. 
Sometimes  it  requires  little  more  than  the  turn- 
ing of  their  attention  to  the  matter.  Becoming 
a  member  of  the  Theosophical  Society  or 
seriously  taking  up  theosophical  studies  is 
sometimes  the  final  step  that  leads  to  the  open- 
ing of  the  inner  sight. 

But  how  can  one  know  to  what  point  he  may 
have  advanced  in  the  past  and  where  he  now 
stands?  How  may  we  know  whether  there  is 
but  a  little  work  ahead  or  a  great  deal  ?  We  can- 


44  The  Value  of  Enthusiasm. 

not  know ;  nor  is  it  important  to  know.  The  per- 
son who  should  take  up  the  task  merely  because 
he  thinksjhere  is  little  to  do  would  certainly  fajl, 
The  very  fact  that  he  would  not  venture  upon 
the  undertaking  if  he  thought  the  task  a  difficult 
one  is  evidence  that  he  has  not  the  qualifications 
necessary  for  the  success  of  the  occult  student. 
Unless  he  is  filled  with  a  longing  to  possess 
greater  power  to  be  used  in  the  service  of  human- 
ity, and  fired  with  an  enthusiasm  that  would 
hesitate  at  no  difficulties,  he  has  not  yet  reached 
the  point  in  his  evolution  where  he  awaits  only 
the  final  steps  that  will  make  him  a  disciple.  But 
even  the  absence  of  the  keen  desire  for  spiritual 
progress,  which  is  the  best  evidence  of  the  prob- 
ability of  success,  should  not  deter  anybody  from 
entering  upon  the  systematic  study  of  theosophy 
and  devoting  to  it  all  the  time  and  energy  he  can  ; 
nor  should  the  thought  that  many  years  might 
pass  without  producing  any  very  remarkable 
results  lead  him  to  conclude  that  the  undertaking 
would  not  be  a  profitable  one.  The  time  will 
come  with  each  human  being  when  he  will  step 
out  of  the  great  throng  that  drifts  with  the  tide 
and  enter  upon  the  course  of  conscious  evolution, 
assisting  nature  instead  of  ignoring  her  beneficent 
plan;  and  since  it  is  but  a  question  of  time  the 


Dangers  of  Artificial  Development.        45 

sooner  a  beginning  is  made  the  better,  for  the 
sooner  will  suffering  cease. 

There  should  be  a  word  of  warning  about  the 
folly  of  trying  to  reach  spiritual  illumination  by 
artificial  methods.  Astral  sight  is  sometimes 
quickly  developed  by  crystal  gazing  and  also  by 
a  certain  regulation  of  the  breathing.  For  two 
reasons  such  methods  should  be  avoided.  One 
is  that  any  powers  thus  gained  can  not  be  perma- 
nent, and  the  other  is  that  they  may  be  more  or 
less  dangerous.  Many  people  have  made  physical 
wrecks  of  themselves  or  have  become  insane  by 
some  of  these  methods. 

There  are  those  who  advertise  to  quickly  teach 
clairvoyance,  for  a  consideration,  as  though  spir- 
itual powers  could  really  be  conferred  instead  of 
evolved !  It  is  true  that  efforts  toward  the  evolu- 
tion of  such  powers  may  be  enormously  aided  by 
teachers,  but  such  instruction  can  not  be  bought, 
and  the  offer  to  furnish  it  for  money  is  the  best 
evidence  of  its  worthlessness.  Those  who  teach 
this  ancient  wisdom  select  their  own  pupils  from 
the  morally  fit,  and  tuition  can  be  paid  only  in 
devotion  to  truth  and  service  to  humanity.  That 
is  the  only  road  that  leads  to  instruction  worth 
having,  and  until  the  aspirant  is  firmly  upon  that 
sound  moral  ground  he  is  much  better  off  without 


46  Finding  the  Great  Teacher. 

powers,  the  selfish  use  of  which  would  lead  to 
certain  disaster. 

But  how  shall  the  pupil  find  the  teacher?  He 
need  not  find  him,  at  first,  so  far  as  the  limited 
consciousness  is  concerned.  Long  before  he 
knows  anything  of  it  in  his  waking  hours  he  may 
be  receiving  instruction  while  he  is  out  of  the 
physical  body  during  the  hours  of  sleep.  The 
teacher  finds  the  pupil  long  before  the  pupil  sus- 
pects that  the  teacher  exists;  and  since  it  is  the 
pupil  who  has  the  limited  consciousness  it  is  quite 
natural  that  it  should  be  so.  Thus  it  is  inevitable 
that  all  who  enter  upon  the  way  that  leads  to 
spiritual  illumination  must  long  remain  ignorant 
of  the  fact  that  any  teachers  are  interested  in 
them  or  that  anybody  is  giving  the  slightest  atten- 
tion to  them.  Naturally  enough  one  cannot  know 
until  the  moment  arrives  when  his  brain  has  be- 
come sufficiently  sensitive  to  retain  a  memory  of 
at  least  a  fragment  of  his  superphysical  expe- 
riences. 

But  what  leads  to  the  selection  of  the  pupil? 
His  earnestness,  his  unselfishness,  his  devotion, 
his  spiritual  aspirations.  There  is  an  old  occult 
maxim  to  the  effect  that  when  the  pupil  is  ready 
the  Master  is  waiting.  They  have  need  of  many 
more  than  are  ready  to  be  taught.  Those  who 
lead  and  enlighten  watch  eagerly  for  all  who  will 


What  Leads  to  Success.  47 

qualify  themselves  to  enter  upon  the  upward  way. 
Every  human  being  gets  exactly  what  he  fits 
himself  to  receive.  He  cannot  possibly  be  over- 
looked. By  his  spiritual  aspiration  each  lights 
the  lamp  in  the  window  of  his  soul  and  to  the  j 
watchers  from  the  heights  that  light  against  the 
background  of  the  overwhelming  materiality  of 
our  times  must  be  as  the  sun  in  a  cloudless  sky. 
Other  things  come  later  but  these  simpler 
things,  to  realize  the  necessity  for  conscious  evo- 
lution,  to  comprehend  the  method  of  soul  develop- 
ment,  to  take  full  control  of  the  mind  and  the 
physical  body,  to  resolutely  curb  the  grosser 
desires,  and  to  give  free  rein  to  the  higher 
aspirations  are  the  first  infant  steps  in  the  self- 
development  that  leads  to  illumination.  Then  we 
begin  to  discover  that  this  very  desire  for  greater 
spiritual  power  is  generating  a  force_  that  carries 
us  forward  and  upward.  We  soon  begin  to 
observe  actual  progress.  The  brain  becomes 
clearer,  the  intellect  keener.  Our  sphere  of 
influence  grows  wider,  our  friendships  _become 
warmer.  Aspiration  lifts  us  into  a  new  and  ra- 
diant life,  and  the  wondrous  powers  of  the  soul 
begin  to  become  a  conscious  possession.  And  to 
this  soul  growth  there  is  no  limit  The  aspirant 
will  go  on  and  on  in  this  life  and  others  with  an 
ever-extending  horizon  of  consciousness  until  he 


48  Through  Storm  to  Peace. 

has  the  mental  grasp  of  a  Plato,  the  vivid  imag- 
ination of  a  Dante,  the  intuitive  perception  of  a 
Shakespeare.  It  is  not  by  the  outward  acquire- 
ment of  facts  that  such  men  become  wise  and 
great.  It  is  by  developing  the  soul  from  within 
until  it  illuminates  the  brain  with  that  flood  of 
light  called  genius. 

And  when,  through  the  strife  and  storm,  we 
finally  reach  the  tranquility  of  the  inner  peace  we 
shall  comprehend  the  great  fact  that  life  really 
is  joy  when  lived  in  the  possession  of  spiritual 
power  and  in  perfect  harmony  with  the  laws  of 
the  universe.  With  even  these  first  steps  in  occult 
achievement  the  aspirant  enters  upon  a  higher 
and  more  satisfactory  life  than  he  has  ever 
known.  Literally  he  becomes  a  new  man. 
Gradually  the  old  desires  and  impulses  fade  away 
and  new  and  nobler  aspirations  take  their  place. 
Hejias  learned  obedience  to  law  only  to  find  that 
obedience  was  the  road  to  conquest.  He  has 
risen  above  the  gross  and  sensuous  by  the  power 
of  conscious  evolution ;  and,  looking  back  upon 
what  he  has  been  with  neither  regret  nor  apology, 
he  comprehends  those  significant  words  of  Ten- 
nyson: 

"On    stepping-stones    of    their    dead    selves 
Men  rise  to  higher  things." 


FOURTEEN  DAY  USE 

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